Let me ask a question. If you wanted to watch your home movies on tape right now, how would you watch it? Let’s say you have vhs tapes at home or, better yet, Hi8 or 8mm tapes - do you have the equipment to watch your home movies?
If you’re like most people, you have your family videos stored safely somewhere in your home and they haven't been watched in a hot minute.
If you wanted to get your family together to watch these fantastic videos, to reflect on the good ole days, to see loved ones and hear their sweet voices again - you probably don’t have the equipment to play it.
And we don’t blame you! Technology has changed, things have become irrelevant, outdated, old. We have all upgraded to those new cameras or fancier phones to store our memories. Although VHS tape players still exist and you can find some at your local thrift store...you may be puzzled on, “How can I play my Hi8 or 8mm tapes?”
We all love Hi8 and 8mm tapes. These small, yet mighty tapes played a huge role in analog media. They were recorded on a hand held camcorder and were easily accessible for anyone to use. Whether an upcoming movie director, or a parent wanting to film your child’s first step...anyone could use this camcorder. That said, one problem folks are facing today is trying to rewatch their Hi8 tapes / 8mm tapes. Before you start rummaging through your old box of tapes and pull out your trusty (dusty) camcorder, let’s give you a little context on whether or not Hi8 camcorders can play 8mm tapes.
Do these tapes seem similar? Yes! But is the playback the same on one single device? No. Short answer: 8mm tapes do not have backward compatibility with Hi8 camcorders.
Long answer: backwards compatibility is tricky with each analog tape. Hi8 camcorders could play Video8 tapes, and Digital 8 camcorders could play Video8 and Hi8 tapes. Where most digital camcorders are compatible with these similar tapes, there are a handful of camcorder models that don’t offer this backwards compatibility feature.
So, can a Hi8 camcorder play 8mm tapes? It really depends on what model camcorder you have, but you’re probably going to find that your camcorder does not have the compatibility. If you have any of these models, you will not be able to play your 8mm tape:
- DCR-TRV130
- DCR-TRV140
- DCR-TRV250
- DCR-TRV260
- DCR-TRV265
- DCR-TRV280
Is that a bummer - yes. But the good news is that your tapes are not lost! All of your 8mm tapes (or Hi8 tapes) can be watched and brought back to life with one simple solution: digitize them. It’s simple, it’s quick, and you’ll treasure your favorite family movies stuck on Hi8 tapes and 8mm tapes forever. Enjoy your memories and don’t take for granted the value they are currently holding. Tapes don’t last forever, but Kodak Digitizing Box will make sure your memories do.
